Local governments are supporting an initiative by the Western Canadian Wilderness Committee to protect valuable and rare tracts of Coastal Douglas fir biogeoclimatic zones on the east coast of Vancouver Island.

Annette Tanner, spokesperson for the WCWC, said the Regional District of Nanaimo, City of Nanaimo, Parksville and Qualicum Beach governments have all backed an effort that could result in the protection of the endangered forest type on Crown land parcels.

Currently, only 110 hectares of Crown land old growth Douglas fir forests are protected in B.C.

“We are extremely pleased to receive such overwhelming and unanimous support ... to place these last remnants of publicly-owned east coast forests within their communities under a special land use order,” said Tanner.

The RDN went a step further, asking the provincial government to also include areas south of the land use order, which covers from Bowser to Nanaimo, as well as one parcel on the Sunshine Coast.

The province is accepting applications to place six parcels of Crown land with Coastal Douglas fir moist maritime zones on the Island’s east coast in a protective land use order.

Tanner said another key request from the RDN was to recommend placing the remaining 10 per cent of property within the E&N lands into the same land use order.

Public input is also being accepted until Monday (Feb. 15). Comments can be sent to Bill Zinovich, Integrated Land Management Bureau, West Coast Service Cetnre, Suite 142, 2080 Labieux Road, Nanaimo, BC, V9T 6J9 or fax 250-751-7081, or email bill.zinovich@gov.bc.ca.